Monday, 13 May 2013

70,000 Infants Infected Annually With HIV/AIDS In Nigeria – NACA

The National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) has revealed that 70,000 infants are infected with HIV/AIDS through mother to child transmission in Nigeria annually.

The Director-General of the agency; Professor John Idoko told Channels Television that Nigeria bears the largest burden of HIV positive women who transmit to their babies.

He said out of 6 million pregnancies annually, 230,000 are HIV positive and mother to child transmission. 70,000 positive infants as the outcome annually, making this group a major source of HIV transmission followed by sex workers.

Our correspondent, Doris Okenwa, in this community report, examines HIV prevalence in the country and some of the key issues surrounding it.

We would like to inform our viewers that some of the pictures may be disturbing.

On the prevalence rate of the HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, geographical statistics from NACA, places Benue state as the highest in the country followed closely by Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Anambra and the Federal Capital Territory.

States like Kebbi, Ekiti, Jigawa and Katsina have very low prevalence rates.

An HIV patient whom Dories Okenwa spoke to is a 40-year old mother of four infected with HIV/AIDS by her partner in 1999 and unfortunately, passed it on to her youngest child who is now 13.